There are many ways to beautifully design a garden plot, but one of the most striking styles is Dutch. It can be used both in a small local area and in a spacious area, helping to emphasize the unique beauty of natural landscapes. The main features of the Dutch style, especially the choice of plants, the rules for planning the site and recommendations for the location of objects are further in the article.

History of Dutch landscape design

The birthplace of this method of registration of the site is Holland. It formed and became an independent style in the 16th century. The best examples of its use in practice can be seen in the paintings of artists of that time. In the XVII century, the first treatise on the Dutch style was even written, which was called the “Garden of Pleasure”. It contained the basic rules for the arrangement of the site.

Did you know? The art of proper design of gardens was known in ancient Greece in the X – VIII centuries. BC e. In addition to plants, columns, amphoras and sculptures were used, which later became symbols of the ancient Greek style.

The Dutch style gained the greatest popularity in Europe in the Baroque era. At this time, it was often used to decorate large territories belonging to the monarchs and their entourage. At the same time, a large site contained fountains and ponds, and was also necessarily divided into separate zones, called “green rooms”. They allowed creating an atmosphere of privacy for visitors to the garden and were often limited along the perimeter with picturesque hedges.

Over time, the Dutch style developed, becoming increasingly popular. Today, it can even be used to draw up a small plot with an area of ​​10-12 m. To do this, it is enough to choose the right plants and objects, as well as observe the basic rules for their location.

The main signs of style

The Dutch garden impresses the observer with bright colors and an abundance of various plants, as well as the careful planning of their location on the territory.

Important! Before proceeding to the design of the site, it is recommended to draw on paper a detailed plan for the placement of all plants and objects.

The main features of the style:

• neat view of lawns, crowns of trees, bushes - All of them must be neatly trimmed;
• well-groomed and bright flower beds - they consist of carefully selected plants that bloom at different periods of time, therefore they maintain decorativeness throughout the year;
• purity - there is no garbage and fallen leaves on the site;
• compact and miniature - all objects and plants are small;
• rational use of the territory - achieved through a clear layout, allowing you to effectively occupy the entire area of ​​the site;
• tight planting - needed to create the most magnificent compositions and helps to equip even a small area in the Dutch style;
• simplicity and symmetry - appear in the way the flower beds, garden paths and decorative objects are arranged;
• decor decoration - all of them look elegant and fit perfectly into the overall picture of the site;
• hedges - allow you to divide the territory into separate zones, being a suitable setting for well-groomed lawns and flower beds.

Dutch-style landings

When setting up a Dutch-style garden, planting plants, flowers and trees is of primary importance. They give the site a well-groomed and sophisticated look, being the main decoration for the area.

Therefore, you need to know the main rules for decorating the lawn, especially the planting of flower arrangements and a few trees, and also follow some recommendations when decorating green hedges and mixborders.

Lawn and ground

Neat ground grass is a kind of "calling card" of the Dutch style of landscape design, the front part of the park. They should primarily attract the attention of the visitor.

Main characteristics of the Dutch lawn lawn:

• has a perfectly flat surface - throughout the territory the grass is trimmed to the same height;
• It has a well-groomed appearance - the vegetation is uniform and dense, saturated green;
• may contain a single object (a fountain, a tree or a bright composition) located in the center;
• sown with bushy grass with narrow leaves - it forms a decorative cover resembling a silky green carpet;
• open for viewing, because it is not surrounded by a fence.

Tapeworm planting

Solitary plants are used as an accent in the decorative compositions of the Dutch garden. Their main function is to draw attention to the beauty of the landscape, so such plantings may be present in the center of the lawn, a composition of flowers and other ornamental plants.

In the Dutch style of landscape design, the role of a tapeworm can be performed by:

• compact standard tree;
• small topiary;
• flowering shrub.

Important! The main criterion for choosing a tapeworm is its high decorative effect. It can be achieved due to the unusual shape of the crown or shoots, bright foliage or the presence of lush inflorescences.

Songs

When designing a site in the Dutch style, all compositions from plants, shrubs and trees should look natural and magnificent. To create them, they select such constituent elements that are well combined with each other.

The basic rules for creating compositions in the Dutch style:

• the dominant color should be green - this task is achieved through the use of decorative and deciduous perennial crops with beautiful leaves;
• in each group of plants there is a lush flower - it is surrounded by 2-3 less catchy plants to get a contrasting combination;
• from deciduous crops they prefer plants with leaves that are unusual in shape and size - this helps to avoid uniformity, giving green plantings a more spectacular look;
• in groups of flowering plants, specimens with soft shades of blue, blue, violet, pink and white should predominate - such colors give the composition the most natural look, make it harmonious and expressively emphasize the dominant green;
• differences in height of the constituent elements of the group should be smooth - do not plant tall bushes and low plants nearby, the visual transition from a miniature specimen to a taller tree should look slightly blurry.

Hedgerows and mixborders

Another characteristic feature of the Dutch-style site is hedges and mixborders. They are located around the entire perimeter of the territory, as well as along garden paths paved with natural stone, without creating obstacles to the overview of the surrounding area.

Did you know? Fountains and pools were first used to decorate plots in ancient Rome in the 1st century. In addition, in the gardens of the local prosperous nobles there were also grottoes and small waterfalls.

The main characteristics of the green fence:

• consists of low shrubs or decorative flowering plants;
• has a neat appearance, achieved by cropping;
• used to divide the territory into separate zones;
• It is a strict framework for lawns and compositions inside the perimeter;
• can form whole green labyrinths in large areas.

Mixborder is a kind of flower garden, consisting of various plants. All its elements can be of the same height or can be arranged in smooth tiers, but bloom at different times. Therefore, the mixborder has a decorative appearance at any time from early spring to late autumn.

Plants for him are selected so that the general recommendations for the design of Dutch garden compositions are observed.

Plant selection

On the site, decorated in the Dutch style, there are a variety of plant species. All of them should not be too high to create a minimal shadow. This will allow lawn grass, flower beds and miniature shrubs to receive a sufficient amount of sunlight, while maintaining decorative qualities.

Basic rules for choosing plants for the Dutch site:

• of the flowers, bulbous cultures predominate - tulips and daffodils, hyacinths, lilies, crocuses and anemones;
• to create beautiful and fragrant compositions, fragrant plants are used - hydrangea, hawthorn, honeysuckle, forsythia, spirea;
• from coniferous crops, preference is given to juniper, thuja, yew and low varieties of spruce;
• for vertical gardening, climbing plants are used - ivy or hops;
• deciduous trees are present in small numbers - they usually use cherry, willow or birch.

Important! Each type of plant provides the necessary care. Trees and shrubs are neatly trimmed with pruning, and they are watered and fed with fertilizers to preserve the decorative appearance of crops.

Buildings and small architectural forms

In addition to plants and lush compositions from shrubs, small architectural forms and auxiliary decorations are used in the design of the Dutch garden. They are connected to each other by well-groomed garden paths, which are paved with stone or sprinkled with wood chips.

The basic rules for selecting and placing objects for a site in the Dutch style:

• the residential building and all outbuildings are located on the side of the decorated garden - they should not distract attention, therefore their walls are often covered with ivy;
• as sculptures are used funny figures of fairy-tale characters, birds or animals - gnomes, frogs, crows, mermaids, etc .;
• The naturalness of the landscape is emphasized with the help of elements of rustic decor - neat wells, small mills, wooden wheels, stepladders, handmade hives;
• for the design of flower beds raised above the ground, wooden barrels, decorative carts and chests of drawers, as well as suitcases, buckets, objects of an old service are used;
• the territory must necessarily have arbors and pavilions for relaxation - they are located on separate sites between the lawns and plant compositions;
• in the presence of free space in the center of the lawn you can place a compact fountain made of stone;
• wooden benches and benches are located along the garden paths and are often cut directly into the hedge or mixborder.

Did you know? The Roman emperor Claudius Caesar spent a lot of free time on the independent arrangement of his garden. The ruler had a special love for roses, growing many varieties of these plants.

The site, decorated in the Dutch style, is a cozy and beautiful place to relax, and each object pleases the observer with its graceful and decorative look. Using the above recommendations, you can equip even a small house adjoining territory, observing the rules for selecting plants and decorations.